Suikersbosrand Nature Reserve, Johannesburg, South Africa, March 2014

Suikersbosrand Nature Reserve straddles a mountain about 50kms southeast of Johannesburg. A 60km route winds across the mountain passing through grassland and rocky outcrops, acacia woodland and rock-strewn hillside. It covers an area of over 28,000 acres and boasts an eBird Hotspot list of 185 birds. 

Another hotspot inside the park, Holhoek Picnic Area was my objective for the visit as it would allow me to get out of the car and walk amongst the acacias, but I had to hurry to make it worthwhile.

My flight was delayed leaving just 3 hours to complete the 60km, one way circuit, so it was quite a whizz. I was reluctant to stop for larks, cisticolas and pipits as taking the time to identify them would not enable me to maintain my required 20km average speed. Foolishly I had dawdled on the approach road and had nearly banjaxed the visit. 

The lady at the reception refused me entry at first, saying that I would not be able to get around by 18.00 when the park closed, but I made a solemn promise that I would be back by six and she relented.

The approach road at the northern entry gate brought lots of Amur Falcons. They like to watch for insects from the fence surrounding this part of the reserve. A Black-breasted Snake Eagle hovered high up and Long-tailed Widows and Red-collared Widows flopped about just above the grass. Once I got onto the circuit, a few birds made it worth my while to stop.

A cisticola sat out on a signpost allowing me to get a picture to peruse later on. I take it to be a Levaillant’s Cisticola, though they are usually more associated with water than high grassland. I don’t recall seeing any water nearby. Mountain Wheatears were common along the roadsides and on rocky outcrops.

Many of the birds noted were seen at the roadside as the long grass obstructed much of the view at times. My favourite bird of the roadside today was the Southern Ant-eating Chat. They were very common and seen along most of the drive. Their flight pattern is distinctive for its bold white primary patches and the bird is very dumpy, looking like a slow feathery ball in flight.

Game animals can be seen along the route, though in my experience, they seem to prefer the southern stretches, about half-way round. Zebra, Eland, Blesbok and Black Wildebeeste were seen as I drew up to the Holhoek Picnic Area at Google Earth ref; 26 32 28.02S 28 13 37.60E.

The picnic area is sited amongst the acacias which spill down the mountainside here. With very little time at my disposal, I was only able to make a very cursory glance round Holhoek, but the birds were very accommodating and 19 species showed themselves. Spotted Flycatchers and Fiscal Flycatchers liked to use the posts as their hawking perches. A Hoopoe and a Green Woodhoopoe flushed as I drove in, but stayed nearby.

Cape Sparrow, Southern Grey-headed Sparrow and White-browed Sparrow-Weaver were all very approachable.

As I pressed on from the picnic area, more game animals were seen with small herds of Springbok and a Red Hartebeest with a suckling youngster.

Time was really against me now and I can hardly recall stopping along the second half of the circuit except to see large numbers of Red-collared Widowbirds gathering to roost in the tall grass and to listen very quickly to the whistling call of a Bokmakerie.

The highlight came towards the end of the road. I had seen a couple of Black-backed Jackals that had run ahead of the car and disappeared into the long grass, but one dashed off the road as I approached and stopped to look back over its shoulder in a thin area of wispy grass enabling me to get a shot.

Birds seen; 47

Helmeted Guineafowl 4, Swainson’s Francolin 13, Little Grebe 2, Long-tailed Cormorant 2, Cattle Egret 6, Black-shouldered Kite 4, Black-breasted Snake-Eagle 1, Amur Falcon 162, Red-knobbed Coot 5, Blacksmith Plover 2, Red-eyed Dove 4, Ring-necked Dove 13, Laughing Dove 54, Little Swift 3, Sfrican Palm-swift 1, White-backed Mousebird 2, Eurasian Hoopoe 1, Green Woodhoopoe 1, Pied Barbet 1, Bokmakerie 1, Common Fiscal 13, Rufous-naped Lark 3, Red-capped Lark 12, Bank Swallow 1, Barn Swallow 12, Greater Striped Swallow 8, Common House Martin 1, Black-fronted Bulbul 9, Cape White-eye 4, Fiscal Flycatcher 10, Spotted Flycatcher 2, Cape Robin-chat 10, Stonechat 33, Southern Anteater-Chat 60, Mountain Wheatear 23, Karoo Thrush 1, Orange-throated Longclaw 15, Cape Canary 17, Black-throated Canary 8, Cape Sparrow 4, Southern Grey-headed Sparrow 1, White-browed Sparrow-weaver 5, Southern Masked-weaver 40, Red Bishop 3, Red-collared Widowbird 205, Long-tailed Widowbird 21, Pin-tailed Whydah 1.

Mammals seen; 8

Eland 30, Red Hartebeest 3, Black Wildebeest 20, Springbok 25, Blesbok 5, Black-backed Jackal 4, Zebra 15,

Suikersbosrand can be accessed from the N3 heading south from JNB. Take the R550 west and the north entrance is signed 6kms from there at Google Earth ref; 26 26 16.32S 28 13 10.84E.

The opening times are open to misinterpretation. Most sites agree that the gates allow visitors in from around 07.00. Gates close at 16.00 on weekdays and 17.00 on weekends and holidays. However, I was asked to be out by 18.00 on this Friday evening in March. Make of that what you will. Arrive in plenty of time or risk being turned away. I would leave at least 4 hours to enjoy the park and not have to rush.

Entry should cost RSA20. Perhaps my late arrival prompted a burst of generosity, but I was waved on when I tried to pay.

The circuit is 60kms around and is one way only, so you can’t choose to just do a little bit and return; you have to complete the full lap.

There are hiking trails and overnight huts with basic accommodation for those who wish to trek for a couple of days on the mountain. For details, visit; http://footprint.co.za/suikerbosrand.htm

If you are interested in the geology and habitats of the Suikersbosrand range, this site offers an overview. 

Visit the dedicated Africa Page for more posts from JNB, including; Pilanesberg, Tswaing Crater and Marievale Bird Sanctuary.

Birding, Birdwatching, Safari, JNB Johannesburg, South Africa

South Africa pre-post

My love affair with Africa was put under strain this week. So often it is the quirks and idiosyncrasies of our loved ones that endear them to us. Little inconveniences can easily be overlooked and frustrations borne with good heart, but this week I was tired and impatient and allowed the irritations to get the better of me. This post is to vent my frustrations to avoid them spilling over into the specific posts and tainting them.

European Bee-eater

Actually, you don’t need to read any further. Ignore my whinging and just enjoy a few of the pictures. This is simply a cathartic exercise for my own benefit, recommended by the councillor who is trying to salvage our relationship. I shan’t go into specifics here except to say that getting mugged was something that I had always expected to happen and I was prepared for it, but I did not expect it to happen at the hands of the police. Oh, and it was the second time that I had been robbed that day! When I eventually arrived at Marievale Bird Sanctuary after 3 and-a-half hours in the car, the site was flooded and inaccessible.

Black-backed Jackal

Other outings this week have been severely curtailed or delayed. Our flight was delayed while we waited for an engineer to sign off vital repair work to the aircraft. It was late in the evening and we had to rouse him from bed to do it. The delay resulted in us arriving more than 3 hours late, turning what should have been a leisurely afternoon drive around Suikersbosrand into a frantic dash to beat the darkness. Extraordinary rain washed out roads and damaged bridges at Pilanesberg restricting us to the main tarmac road.

Tawny-flanked Prinia

All in all, what with getting lost a few times because South African map makers can’t agree on which number to allocate which road (or giving it one number for the carriageway going north and a different one for the south direction) and a running battle with the parking barrier at the hotel, it was quite a vexing trip. Of course it was not all Africa’s fault, I was intolerant and quick to rise this week. I have loved her for as long as I can remember and I am sure that she and I can rebuild our relationship. In fact, I just arrived back this morning and am missing her already.

Warthog

Anyway, despite the whinging, I did manage to get into the bush to wave my binoculars about a bit and even took some photos. There will probably be three posts from this trip (with little or no complaint now that I have off-loaded my troubles here) and will include a quick whizz around the circuit at Suikersbosrand, a limited tour of Pilanesberg and a whistle-stop, multi-site post including Marievale,Rondebult and Johannesburg Botanical Gardens. I will link from here once they are published.

Zebra

If you can't wait, visit the dedicated African page where you can find some previous South African posts.

Pied Wagtail roosting flock is still at Heathrow T5

This post is simply to document the calendar of the Pied Wagtails that roost at London Heathrow’s Terminal 5 during the cold months. Today was Thursday 13^th March 2014 and is the latest that I have seen the birds here. Their numbers have dropped since January when as many as 1400 were seen. Approximately 500 were seen here this evening.

This year’s numbers are down on last year, but this may be down to a significant prune of the “bird-proof trees” last autumn which reduced the outer branch capacity. In previous years the roosting flock has exceeded 3000 during extreme cold nights.

The wagtails find warmth and shelter from the elements as they are sheltered between the terminal and the multi-storey car park. Recent rises in temperature may have contributed to the drop in numbers as the birds roost elsewhere in smaller flocks.

See the previous posts on the Wagtails of London Heathrow Airport at the links below;

http://redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/where-did-all-these-wagtails-come-from.html

http://redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/the-wagtails-are-back.html

http://www.redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/i-have-been-watching-out-for.html

Harmondsworth Moor is also very close to Heathrow Airport and a post can be seen at this link.
Birding, Bird watching, London UK, Heathrow Airport, T5

Camera test.

It looks as if Spring could be in the air. We have had a few days of brighter and above all, drier weather and the sap is beginning to rise. I took a quick visit to the reserve at Elmlea on the Isle of Sheppey in the Thames Estuary, hoping to catch a Short-eared Owl.

Male Northern Lapwings were rolling and squeaking in their courtship displays. A male Reed Bunting was splendid in his seasonal best and stood out, proud in the phragmites, hoping to impress the ladies.

A big thank you goes out to my birdy buddy Martin who has lent me his camera while mine is at the menders. If I hadn’t had to take it for a quick test, I wouldn’t have enjoyed the Short-eared Owl hunting over the marsh.

Thanks Martin, I will get the camera back to you as soon as I can. 

McInnish Park and Elm Fork Nature Preserve, Dallas, March 2014.

I just want to make it clear that I did not fall off my bike. To an inexperienced Redgannet watcher, I accept that my dismount may have appeared sudden and ungainly, but I can assure you that it was intentional.

I took a couple of jaunts into the area during this itinerary, but shall try to include them as one post. For eBird, the list below has been split over three sites; Coppell-Ledbetter Rd, Elm Fork Nature Preserve and McInnish Park.

I travelled light with just binoculars on the evening that we arrived and caught the bus to Coppell-Ledbetter Rd to make a quick recce of the area before the sun set. The evening was bright and warm and the first bird I saw was a life Harris’s Sparrow. I wished that I had brought the camera. With just 8 birds and 2 checklists, eBird may be overstating its potential by designating this site as a hotspot, but it was so close to the other two sites that I wanted to check it out and at the same time make sure that I could access Elm Fork Nature Preserve from W Belt-Line Road, so the visit was warranted. Also seen were Eastern Phoebe, White-throated Sparrow, Carolina Chickadee and Great Egret.

The next morning was Saturday and the bus doesn’t run until after 08.30, so I cycled the 30 minutes or so along W Belt Line Rd and sneaked in under the railway line at Google Earth ref; 32577.06N 965547.38W. It was much colder this morning. The low cloud and poor light made me wish that I hadn’t bothered with the camera, but then I saw a Nine-banded Armadillo snuffling through the leaf litter by the edge of the trees and started clicking. Sadly the clicking was to no great effect and I shan’t trouble you with the results. The sports fields here were quiet at 07.30, but the baseball diamonds further up were already busy.

I headed up to the top of McInnish Park and worked my way back down so as to make the best of a short morning. Most noticeable was a large icterid flock made up of Great-tailed Grackle, Red-winged Blackbird and Brown-headed Cowbird. On the far edges of the flock were a few meadowlarks, but I was unable to distinguish between east and west until later.

The most productive spot was found along the road on the northern edge of the lake at Google Earth ref; 32 57 47.25N 96 56 18.85W. The lake on this side was shallow with small islands and a more overgrown bank. Green-winged Teal, Gadwall, and Song Sparrow were seen here while Downy Woodpecker, White-crowned Sparrow and Tufted Titmouse were seen in the bushes on the other side of the road. The woods just beyond brought Northern Cardinal, Yellow-rumped Warbler and more Harris’s Sparrow.

The lake to the west had looked very promising on Google Earth, but failed to live up to its potential. A few Gadwall, harbouring a single Pintail amongst them, flushed from the bank and a Great Egret stood on the far side.

The icterid flock had moved across to the bank by the lake and they moved in a rolling flush before me as I walked along. The meadowlarks were slowest to fly and I was able to get a picture that made me plump for Western Meadowlark.

To the south of the baseball fields is Elm Fork Nature Preserve, a remnant of ancient woodland bequeathed to the citizens of Carrollton, by the descendants of the original owner who had bought it for “woodrights” many years ago, but only cut when wood was needed. Carolina Wrens could be heard from the car lot and one responded to a pish as I chained up the bike. 

Blue Jays leapt into screeching action as a Red-shouldered Hawk flushed aat my first clumsy footfall on the path.  A circular trail leads through the woodland, skirting the eponymous fork of the river, past a lake on the eastern side and back to a visitor centre which was still closed as I reached it at around 10.30 on this Saturday morning. 

Signs warning visitors to stay on the path to avoid contact with venomous snakes added a certain frisson to the stroll and I confess to giving more attention to the leaf litter than to the treetops. A Red-bellied Woodpecker showed great interest in a sap-seeping scar on a tree trunk and was joined by a Northern Cardinal which took over once the woodpecker moved on.

Just to the west is another small wood with a short, circular route on a paved trail. Brown Thrasher, Winter Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Eastern Bluebird were added from here. On the grass to the south of the small wood, a mixed group of American Robin, American Pipit and American Goldfinch fed from the ground. They had been forced into each others’ company by the football teams which had now taken over on the soccer pitches, leaving just a small area of un-sporty turf in the corner.

 Birds seen; 55

Canada Goose 25, Gadwall 20, Mallard 6, Northern Shoveler 80, Northern Pintail 1, Green-winged Teal 13, Lesser Scaup 1, Bufflehead 3, Pied-billed Grebe 3, Double-crested Cormorant 100, Great Blue Heron 1, Great Egret 1, Black Vulture 5, Turkey Vulture 2, Cooper’s Hawk 1, Red-shouldered Hawk 1, American Kestrel 1, American Coot 30, Ring-billed Dove 300, Mourning Dove 4, Red-bellied Woodpecker 3, Downy Woodpecker 4, Northern Flicker 4, Eastern Phoebe 5, Blue Jay 13, American Crow 1, Carolina Chickadee 7, Tufted Titmouse 5, Carolina Wren 3, Bewick’s Wren 1, Winter Wren 1, Ruby-crowned Kinglet 4, Eastern Bluebird 3, Hermit Thrush 1, American Robin 6, Northern Mockingbird 3, Brown Thrasher 1, European Starling 60, American Pipit 25, Yellow-rumped Warbler 20, Savannah Sparrow 3, Fox Sparrow 2, Song Sparrow 4, White-throated Sparrow 19, Harris’s Sparrow 8, White-crowned Sparrow 10, Dark-eyed Junco 18, Northern Cardinal 18, Red-winged Blackbird 150, Western Meadowlark 5, Great-tailed Grackle 140, Brown-headed Cowbird 40, House Finch 4, American Goldfinch 24.

Bus no 400 runs every 30 minutes at peak times and every hour after that and at weekends. It runs east and west along W Belt Line Rd. Fare costs $2.25 and it has a bicycle rack. The nearest stop to the sites above is the turning at Hutton road, just west of Carollton train station, at Google Earth ref; 32 57 7.06N 96 55 47.38W

Cycling on the Belt Line Road is not for the faint of heart. It is a three-lane carriageway with no hard-shoulder or cycling lane. There are a few bridges that cross small rivers. These bridges have no sidewalk or any traffic buffer, so you must cycle or walk in the traffic lanes. It will be necessary to cross the carriageways in both directions to avoid the on-coming traffic.

Visit the dedicated USA and Canada Page for more posts from Dallas, including; White Rock Lake and 

 White Rock Creek

Birding, Birdwatching Dallas, Elm Fork Nature Preserve, McInnish Park